The Rotting Zombie's Round-up of Horror News for November

A short introduction to this months round-up of horror news as I appear to have quite a bit to get through. I am expecting some turbulent times to be upcoming in my life in the near future so this is the calm before the storm, will see how the next few months pan out. Anyway, onto the news...

Not so much news, more designed as a way to bring potential customers to a car website is the Zombia 3000. This is an advert for a fake car that could help you survive the inevitable zombie apocalypse. I've mentioned it here though as the advert goes into quite some detail. Including a break down of exterior features (such as plough attachment), and interior features (CB radio) this was a fun little article. Check it out for yourself here if you so wish.

Just over a year ago I reviewed Alex Noyer's excellent short horror film Conductor, which was about a very special type of music device. Well some good news in that this is going to be adapted into a feature length thriller in what will be Noyer's first full length directorial debut. Starring Jasmin Savoy Brown, Lili Simmons and James Jagger the film is to be about a formerly deaf woman who somehow gained synesthetic abilities after witnessing the murder of her family as a child. She now uses these abilities in a career in music, 'composing her masterpiece through gruesome murders'.

Terror Films have announced some of the films being released as part of their 2020 line-up. There are too many to go into detail on but so far the films announced are Red Letters, All the Wrong Friends, Serena Waits, The Torment of Laurie Ann Cullom, Dark Roads 79, Tropical Vampires, The Evil Rises, A Knight's Tour, Derelicts, 10/31, Still Life, The Bone Box and Irrational Fear.

I've mentioned the clown killer horror Kill Giggles before but now it has a trailer. Apparently inspired by director/writer Jaysen Buterin's fear of clowns this is about a serial killer who only targets them. It stars Michael Ray Williams as clown killer Tommy dos Santos along with Ellie Church (High on the Hog), Vernon Wells (Mad Max), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp) and Judith O'Dea (Night of the Living Dead).

 

November 8th saw Indican Pictures Ballet Blanc come to theatres. Anne-Sophie Dutoit's film centres on a young boy abandoned by his ballet troupe, who sets out on a reign of terror in the town he was left in. Ballet Blanc is due to be released on DVD and Digital platforms January 2020.



Richard Tyson (Black Hawk Down), Harley Wallen, Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story), Maria Olsen (I Spit on Your Grave), Mel Novak (Bruce Lee's Game of Death) and Vernon Wells (Weird Science) are all set to appear in upcoming indie horror drama film The Initiation. In this movie Professor Daniel Kimmer discovers an ex-student he is having an affair with is actually a member of a secret society of feminist witches.

Hex Studios are going to release a limited edition of festival hit Here Comes Hell. Described as 'The Old House' meets 'The Evil Dead' this is a horror comedy homage to classic horror films. Jack McHenry's directorial debut is filmed in black and white and is about a group of 1930's socialites who accidentally open a gateway to Hell during a dinner party event at a dilapidated mansion. It certainly sounds interesting. This limited DVD release includes a commentary as well as a behind the scenes documentary. It can be preordered here.

German zombie film The Rise of Valhalla is now out on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital. I first mentioned this way back in 2014 so is good to see it has came out. The film looks to be set during World War II and has Nazi soldiers battling undead vikings.



Roberto D'Antona's The Last Heroes is out on Amazon Prime Video. This Italian horror is about a group of friends meeting in a small town where they once shared a terrible secret. Together they discover the ancient curse of Kaisha. The film can be found here.



I have already reviewed The Pale Faced Lady and She Will Return, and now the third chapter in Jeff Payne's well edited series has been announced. Short film In Darkness I Wait is meant to be 'a rollercoaster ride of tension of scares'. Part 3 follows two people who head into the notorious house in order to burn it down, unaware of the horrors within. It sounds like this could possibly be the final film in what has been an entertaining series.

The final film news for this month is a trailer for new horror/sci-fi/thriller mystery film Twenty Twenty. This was written, directed and produced by Dave Sweeny (Deranged Foxhole) and stars Nicholas M. Garofolo (Deranged Foxhole, Sweet Revenge). In this one a man struggles to figure out what's real or not. He encounters such characters as Terranova, who claims she is from the man's future, as well as a Mystery Woman, his landlady Mary Lee, and Old Man.



Onto music news now, firstly heavy rock artist Emma Garell has released the music video for her new single Crawl. This was directed by Cody Mausolf of The Liquor Portal and is available now via The Label Group/ INgrooves.



Hungarian punk/rock/metal band The Hellfreaks have released the video for the 2nd single 'Red Sky' from their upcoming album God on the Run. The band say the song "is about the seed of change, it's about the nature of pain." The new album can be pre-ordered here.



Synthwave trio 3force have created a reimagining of Once, There Was An Explosion which is the theme for the new science fiction game Death Stranding (that I would quite like to play if I had the funds!). The track has been described as 'a captivating piece of futuristic terror that will keep listeners riveted to their speakers'. The track is available now through independent synthwave label FiXT Neon.



While this next bit of news isn't strictly horror related I'm mentioning it as it is related to Peter Ricq who was the director/score composer/creator/co-writer of the criminally underrated horror Dead Shack (go watch it, it's great!). Anyway, he is working on a graphic novel titled A King's Vengeance. The story is about a King who gets resurrected 25 years after he dies in order to avenge his family's death. It has been described as 'a steampunk, medieval, fantasy, adventure, and violent revenge story' with influences cited as Conan the Barbarian, Robocop, GOT and Hellboy. There is currently a Kickstarter campaign going to raise funds to produce a high-end quality hardcover book. There is currently 13 days left of the campaign, so to find out more details check it out here.

Rise of the Harvester: Book Three 'Homecoming' (2019) by Steve McGinnis - Horror Graphic Novel Review

Rise of the Harvester is a horror graphic novel series that I hadn't heard of before getting the opportunity to review the latest book; Rise of the Harvester: Book 3 'Homecoming'. Obviously having not read the previous books I would be at a disadvantage, though I was curious to find out just how much prior knowledge would be needed. Some spoilers for previous entries to follow. The series is about a supernatural slasher villain known as the Harvester, in the second book 'Con of the Dead' the killer slays his way through the attendees of a horror convention, eventually escaping when the authorities mistake a cosplayer of the Harvester for the killer himself.

'Homecoming' picks up seven hours after the end of the second book. A survivor in an interrogation room tries to tell detective Warner, and Dr. Johnson they got the wrong person, but they don't believe her. Meanwhile a strange murder has occured back in the area that Samuel (the Harvester) used to live when he was alive. The two men travel there to investigate, Warner is sure it is all unrelated to the carnage at the convention, but Johnson thinks otherwise. Events lead them to a showdown with the unstoppable killer, will they be able to finally stop his path of rampage?

Before reading this I did have a quick Google search to get up to speed on what has happened previously, but even without that I don't think it hampered my enjoyment here. The interrogation scene at the start sums up the ending of 'Con of the Dead', while the backstory for Samuel is provided once again, this time by an old lady who lives in the area that the killer grew up in. The artstyle was strange, but I liked it. Panels are quite simple, but the art goes for more of a realistic look, so characters expressions make them easy to read, a pop art look which I thought was decent. Panels on the whole don't have too much background art to them but everything is very clear to follow. I liked that the flashback sequence have a change of artstyle to a far more cartoon look, which helped split it up from the present day parts. The art style was good throughout, displayed best with a few full page spreads of various topics.

There are plenty of gory kills here, and they get inventive, the first time I have seen someone get beaten to death with a cat! Someone else gets a fist punched right through their face, and plenty of people get their heads ripped off, and their intestines spilled. There was a high body count that doesn't spare young children from the Harvester's bloody path. The story here felt like it had most in common with the Halloween franchise, especially with Dr. Johnson who has a bit of Dr. Loomis in him with how he seems both repulsed, and obsessed with Harvester. The killer itself is the strong and silent type, but he has a ghost/demon type child haunting him who spurs him onwards, this helps provide motivation for him that wouldn't be able to exist otherwise. I liked the subtext that maybe the Harvester is a force of nature there to bring balance to a world in which mankind are destroying the planet.

Emulating the slasher films it pays homage to this ends with the possibility of more stories of the Harvester to follow. A simple tale, one that is full of good art, and which has a violent tale. It isn't going to break boundaries of storytelling, but like the slashers it is based on there is enjoyment to be found here. The 90 page third volume in the Rise of the Harvester series is now out to purchase, and can be done so from here, where the other two books can also be purchased.

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The Listing (2017) - Horror Film Review

The award winning The Listing (directed and written by Mario Cerrito III - Human Hibachi) is a tense thriller about just how far a man would go to protect his son. It moves along at such a breakneck speed that there isn't a lot of time to really just sit down and appreciate how utterly demented this can be. The only way to rationalize this is that either the main character has serious underlying mental health issues, or that he is just isn't thinking.

Michael Mourer (Bernard Glincosky - What Death Leaves Behind) has it all, a beautiful wife, wonderful children, a lovely house, and in his job as a realtor he is very successful. One day however his son, Lucas (Kieran Boyle) is abducted from outside his home. Michael and his wife try to contact the police but they fail to show, and after discovering a note left on his car's windshield from the kidnappers he decides to take things into his own hands. They have given Michael twenty four hours to kill six people in exchange for the return of his son. Fail to get the bodies within the time frame, or alert the police to the kidnapping and Lucas will die. Seeing no other choice the desperate man heads out to do what is needed to get his son back.

The way The Listing barrels forward means there is high tension throughout. It is only when you step back a bit you see how bananas the story actually is. Firstly this only all occurs because the police are useless and forget to send out an officer to investigate the abduction. The biggest crazy aspect is Michael himself who all too easily decides to do exactly what the kidnappers ask, and with little to no convincing, even his wife seems happy with what he needs to do. The next step of insanity is that he thinks the best way to get the bodies he needs will be to kill off all visitors to the house showing he is doing the next day, and so with twenty four hours to act he decides to leave it to within a couple of hours of the deadline before starting his slaying. This makes the film a bit more dramatic and thrilling, but it makes Michael a  protagonist whose actions I often found amusing rather than dramatic.

Marvel Zombies Return (2009) - Zombie Graphic Novel Review

I am still working my way through the various Marvel Zombies comics and my latest one to be read is Marvel Zombies Return. While Marvel Zombies 3 and Marvel Zombies 4 were canological they took place in the main Marvel universe. With Return we fittingly return to the main story of the zombified Marvel heroes of Earth-2149. Spoilers for previous entries to follow of course.

At the end of Marvel Zombies 2 Malcolm Cortez teleported the surviving super zombies to an alternate universe. The anti-heroes made up of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Giant-Man, Wasp, and Luke Cage all end up on Earth-Z. Return takes place over five issues, with different artists and writers doing each one. In issue 1 undead Spider-Man sets out to find a totem said to grant immortality, and ends up getting caught in a battle with Kingpin and the Sinister Six. Issue 2 takes place two years later and sees zombie Giant-Man heading to Stark HQ in order to find some technology that will allow him to power a dimensional teleporter.
Issue 3 takes place two years after this, in Japan and sees zombie Spider-Man teaming up with Wolverine and Kitty Pryde to take on ninja group The Hand and zombie Wolverine. Issue 4 has Hulk returning from his banishment in deep space, he ends up getting infected, and after teaming up with a newly zombified Sentry they set out to consume Earth-Z. The final issue takes place many years in the future, with Earth-Z destroyed, zombie Spider-Man teams up with a new band of Avengers in a last ditch battle to stop the zombie plague once and for all.

Ostinato (2019) - Short Horror Film Review

Ostinato is a short horror that runs at just under six minutes. It was completed through the 48 Hour Film Project - Shanghai, and was directed by Luke Luoh who also collaborated on the writing of this. It has also won a few rewards at the October 2019 edition of the Independent Shorts Awards.

Barret Coates stars as bartender John Fields who appears in two different settings here. The main part of the film has John repeatedly seeming to hallucinate that friends of his keep killing him. Wherever he goes he gets these violent visions, but just what is really going on? The second part has John in a white room directly speaking to the camera, these appear a few times edited within the other story.

So the mystery here is just what is happening. Within the six minutes this is clearly revealed with a third act twist that is kinda similar to a certain film involving a clown. I liked the variety on offer here, from being smothered with a pillow, to getting his throat slashed open, and even death by beer can, the effects were good, especially considering the time constraints. As part of the project the creators were in, not only did they have only two days to make this, but they had some other weird constraints in the form of a character, prop, spoken line of dialogue, and genre they were forced to go with. That these elements are integrated smoothly was impressive.

Ostinato is a well made short that features some nice editing and directing, a solid cast of actors, and some good ideas. It is also quite twisted, especially towards the end with the distorted music and the explanation of what has been occuring. With something this fun created in just two days it would be good to see what the director could come up with in a larger time frame.

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In the Tall Grass (2019) - Horror Film Review

I have said it plenty of time before, but I just am not a fan of Stephen King's writing, yet this year has been a good year for films of his work with Pet Sematary, It: Chapter 2, Doctor Sleep and this Netflix adaptation of In the Tall Grass. The film is based on a novella King wrote with his son Joe Hill. This is directed by Vincenzo Natali who I was not surprised to discover was the director on Cube, as this feels very similar to that cult classic at times.

Siblings Cal (Avery Whitted) and his pregnant sister Becky (Laysla De Oliveira - iZombie TV series) are travelling across America, and their journey has taken them to Kansas. While stopped briefly by a huge field of tall grass the two hear a young boy shouting for help, saying he has been trapped in the field for days and has been unable to find a way out. As he doesn't sound that far away Cal and Becky head in to find him, but soon not only get seperated from one another, but also discover that they too are now trapped, somehow unable to find the route back to the road. They, and a few others also lost discover the field has the ability to bend not only space, but also time...

Curiosity was the biggest factor in me deciding to watch In the Tall Grass, I just needed to know not only how this could ever work as a feature length film (101 minutes in length), but also what on Earth could happen to keep this interesting. With Natali as director you have someone who must be used to making use of a limited space, and making it seem like it is a much larger one. With Cube each section of the cube was just the same set lit differently, I imagine the field of grass was also utilised in a similar fashion. That series is something I will just keep on going back to as I really was reminded heavily of it. Not only with everywhere looking the same, but the time loss element reminded me heavily of Cube 2: Hypercube, with characters running into past and future versions of themselves. To help create the enormity of the field of grass there are many drone shots used, the wind on the grass often makes it seem like a living entity, most successful when the camera flies up from a character to give the impression of the grass swallowing them.

Nox Mortis (2019) - Horror Video Game Review (iOS)

I don't really play many games on my mobile phone, but after getting an email about horror game Nox Mortis I thought I may as well check it out. This is more of an experience than a game per se, and it is designed specifically with VR in mind, though can also be played in a traditional sense as well.

There is limited set-up but basically you are in a haunted room, and due to being paralyzed with fear you are unable to move. All you can do is turn around on the spot, hoping against hope to survive the random horror coming your way.

Nox Mortis has you in a first person perspective, stood in a room lit with a blood red light. Each game you play is completely randomised and has you experiencing 12 unique scares out of a pool of 20. These include among them a mounted deer head laughing, a giant spider scuttling across the ceiling, a figure appearing at the window, and a doll's head rolling down the corridor towards you. All you have available to combat these terrors is 360 turning movement (using a finger on the screen to move around), as well as a zoom option that as it would suggest zooms in the screen a bit. Each play lasts a few minutes depending on how well you do, and it always ends (as far as I can tell) with your demise. I played through this around three times and felt like I had seen most of what the game has to offer. I liked the visuals and the sound design was actually not that bad. Plenty of knocking sounds, creepy laughter, and other traditional horror noises.

If you are reading this and thinking it sounds very limited then you would be right. However Nox Mortis is free to download and play and so it is hard to complain about not too much content. There are no microtransactions, the only concession to being free is having to watch a short advert if you wish to play again once you have died. I played this entirely in 2D, as with everything it would be better in VR, I don't even need to try it to know that. Despite that the first time I died I did give out a small yelp as I was not expecting it! Sure this is a wafer thin experience, but it is also free, and it is of a high enough quality that it is worth a go.

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Sweet Revenge (2019) - Short Horror Film Review

Sweet Revenge is a seven minute short horror that has elements of comedy to it. It was directed by Ron Millkie who is best known for his role in Friday 13th as Officer Dorf, and was written by Phillip Pitta and Joseph Stabile, with Pitta also starring here.

Pitta plays Jim Hanover who several years in the past was a key witness to a brutal attack by Luke Briar (Nicholas M. Garofolo - Deranged Foxhole). Now the man has been released from prison and wastes no time in telling Jim that he is coming for him.

I liked Garofolo's role as the detective character in Deranged Foxhole, so here it was fun to see him in a more evil role as the deranged Briar, he had a good line in manic grimaces that brought some humour to what happens here, and his size made him quite imposing. The story itself is a simple enough one, but it is told in a decent fashion. Technically this wasn't bad, though some audio sound issues with background noise popping up whenever anyone speaks. On the subject of sound though the music here really added some atmosphere and tension.

The story for Sweet Revenge may not go anywhere too surprising but it was competently done, and I found myself enjoying this revenge thriller. A fun performance by Garofolo makes for a thriller worth the time.

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Marvel Zombies 4 (2010) - Horror Graphic Novel Review

Earlier this year I was happy to discover that in the years since I read the first couple of Marvel Zombies a lot more of them had appeared. I excitedly snapped up as many as I could find...and then promptly didn't read them. Now with a blissful week off of my day job I have returned to this cool series once again. Marvel Zombies 4 is a direct sequel to Marvel Zombies 3, and again takes place in the main Marvel universe.

After the events of the last graphic novel, in which the invading creatures from the Marvel Zombies universe were wiped out at the A.R.M.O.R (alternate reality monitoring and operational response) HQ it is discovered that one of the zombies managed to escape. Deadpool, now reduced to just a head had been rescued by Simon Garth, who himself is also a zombie, though one created by Voodoo magic. The two of them end up at the base of Black Talon, who recognising the deadly power of the virus that Deadpool is infected with intends to sell him as a weapon to The Hood, who is secretly being controlled by Dorammu. Meanwhile a special A.R.M.O.R team led by Morbius, and calling themselves the 'Midnight Sons' head out to find and destroy Deadpool before he is able to infect anyone else.

The previous Marvel Zombies story seemed less complicated, this time around there are a few different moving parts. Again the cast are mainly made up of obscure Marvel characters, referred to as Z-list within the novel. As well as the vampire Morbius you have the werewolf Jack Russell, the witch Jennifer Kale, the Satanist Hellstorm, as well as Man-Thing. As usual I class any Marvel characters who haven't appeared in recent films as obscure ones, but even here with these it seems there is some admission that some of these are quite unknown. Simon Garth was a character created in the 1970's, he fits well being a zombie, after the main story that takes place over four issues there are also three additional stories - Altar of the Damned!, Zombie! and Night of the Walking Dead which are all reprints from Simon Garth's original appearance in Tales of the Zombie.

I thought the story was more interesting than the previous entry, and it is an evolution of the main story in that the Marvel Zombies virus manifests itself in a different form than before. This makes for some striking panels bathed in red, as a later development is that virus infused red rain begins to fall over an island. There are lots and lots of undead here, made up of both fish-men ghouls, as well as normal zombies. This made for some gory and bloody scenes of action that had more of a horror oriented angle. The idea to use the monsters of the Marvel universe rather than the more traditional heroes lent this story more of a horror feel. This doesn't affect Deadpool though who maintains his wise cracking ways regardless of what is going on. The art by Kev Walker in particular was very strong for this, it has plenty of large panels with plenty of colour to them. The three Simon Garth stories after the main one are in black and white, but maintain a dark tone to what happens in them.

Each additional story in the Marvel Zombies saga features more and more obscure characters, but due to the art and the story itself I was still very interested in this. I liked the idea of a team of monsters teaming up to fight undead. Some elements of this really make me wish the original novels had been more heroes versus undead rather than undead heroes versus world. Still we are finally getting more of that now, so as always I am interested to see where this wonderful series ends up next.

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The Frankenstein Theory (2013) - Found Footage Horror Film Review

I love getting recommendations as it really is an opportunity to see something I would have otherwise missed. Back in July when putting up my review of the anthology film Tales of Frankenstein I received a comment on my Facebook page from Mikal CG saying I should check out the Andrew Weiner directed movie The Frankenstein Theory. This is a found footage horror with a premise that had me hooked right away, having seen it, it does suffer many of the pitfalls this type of movie often brings with it, yet I also found the setting, and the mystery to be worth the watch.

Professor Jonathan Venkenhein (Kris Lemche - Final Destination 3, Ginger Snaps) has become obsessed with a theory that most people thinks is insane. He believes that the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was actually an account of a real life event that was disguised as fiction. This wild theory of his has caused him to be kicked out of university, as well as put a strain on his relationship with his girlfriend. In a last ditch attempt to show the world he isn't crazy he has put together a small film crew, and with them decides to head up into Antarctica in order to get documented proof that this creature does in fact exist...

I loved the idea behind this, within the context of a found footage it really was something different. With found footage though the more believable the acting, and the more believable the footage is, the more creepy it can feel. It starts off well enough with the traditional text on screen giving the set-up, but then it doesn't explain just how this footage came to be found and pieced together. Either the footage can just be shown as it was without context, or it can be edited together to make a cohesive story with an explanation given. Here it is the later, the story flows naturally, there is text on screen to indicate whenever it is a new day, yet it has some artistic licence with the inclusion of music playing at times. Music by Beethoven appears at a few points, while music plays out over the end credits. It fits the film well, and makes for a good ending, but I couldn't help but be removed slightly by wondering just who decided to add music to what was a tragic event, while they were editing the footage together.

The Fare (2018) - Horror Film Review

I really loved the idea behind the D.C Hamilton directed mystery romance thriller The Fare. It falls into the sub genre of the Groundhog Day style repetitive time loop, though this time taking place entirely in a taxi, and the loop lasting all of twenty minutes. While this is not exactly horror it does have its moments, and blends together a romantic storyline with these elements.

Harris (Gino Anthony Pesi - Battle Los Angeles) is a taxi driver who has been sent by his dispatcher (Jason Stuart) to pick up a fare out in the middle of nowhere. He discovers a woman named Penny (Brinna Kelly - The Doll Collector, and who also wrote this) and they immediately have a connection. Twenty minutes into the journey Penny mysteriously vanishes, with no explanation for this occurrence Harris is told by his dispatcher to just reset his meter and head back. After resetting the meter Harris is once again on his way to pick up a fare out in the desert in the middle of nowhere, again his passenger is Penny, and the same thing occurs time and time again. Slowly Harris begins to realise he is stuck in a time loop with the woman, who also is aware of the phenomenon, together they try and find a way to break the cycle, but slowly start to fall in love as they do so.

I do love time travel and time loops in different types of media, from the obvious Groundhog Day and Happy Death Day, to the Black Mirror episode White Bear, and the Netflix show Russian Doll, this is a concept that works a lot, especially with horror. I liked how The Fare does something a little different, it felt unique that the character stuck in a time loop doesn't initially even realise he is in one. I had also not seen one of these types of idea set over such a limited scope as well. Nearly the entire film takes place inside the taxi cab, while being out in the desert there is nothing to distract. Instead you are brought into the dynamic between the two main characters. This is at its best when it is pushing the boundaries of the mystery of the loop, Harris trying to find ways to break out of the cycle, and the more horror based elements that comes from this. There was a lot of mystery to it all, I feel it could work if this was never explained, but here there is a pretty detailed reason revealed for just what is happening, with the film even carrying on a good ten to fifteen minutes after all the answers have been provided.

The Cunning Man (2019) - Short Horror Film Review

The award winning The Cunning Man is a short fantastical film that was directed by Zoe Dobson, and written by Ali Cook (who also appears in a role here). While it is not horror, it is instead based on folklore, and specifically on a man from history - John Harris, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th century who was known as a 'cunning man', and who is said to have used folklore magic to heal.

Afran Harries (Simon Armstrong - Game of Thrones TV show) spends his time gathering up animal corpses out in the countryside. The local knackerman (Cook) comes up with a plan with a friend to swindle Harries out of the corpses he has collected, so that they can sell them for a profit. However, Harries has his own ideas for exactly what will happen to the animals...

This is just over twelve minutes in length and was shot with a lot of care and attention. The rural setting, as well as the cast combine to give this a realistic feel that plays well with the more magical elements of this. This had some nice cinematography to it as well with some well framed shots, such as the pile of animal corpses, and the whole set-up of the ritual to be performed. It made a change to have something that could so easily have been horror not go down that route, and while I did expect something different I was pleased with how this all turned out. There is a limited cast but all were excellent and fitted the roles they played well. I also liked the use of music, during one particular moment the music cuts out entirely to build tension, and works as intended.

The Cunning Man was a wonderfully shot little film that worked as a cohesive package. This was a perfect length with everything included being essential to the tale of selflessness vs greed. The Cunning Man premiered at the Morbido Film Festival on 1st November.

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Crepitus (2018) - Horror Film Review

I have to say I had been looking forward to watching the Haynze Whitmore directed clown horror Crepitus. Over the past decade there has been many great clown based horror films, such as It, Clown and the fantastic Terrifier. With the horror legend Bill Moseley being involved here I expected great things. While Moseley himself is as fantastic as ever, this film was let down by a bit of an aimless plot.

Eli (Caitlin Williams) and her younger sister Sam (Chalet Lizette Brannan - Terror House) live with their abusive alcoholic mother (Eve Mauro - Age of the Living Dead TV show, Land of the Lost) in their grandfathers dilapidated house.They spend their days trying to avoid the wrath of their perpetually furious mum, while investigating the house to try and discover the cause of strange noises within the walls. Unknown to them a potentially immortal cannibal clown (Moseley - The Devil's Rejects, Repo! The Genetic Opera) resides in the basement.

I had high hopes for this movie but it soon become clear that it wasn't going to appeal to me. The majority of the film takes place in the house, with most of the screen time dedicated to the two sisters. Their story begins in a really dull way with them trying to find out the cause of strange noises. This didn't make for a riveting story. Better would be the interactions they have with their vile mum, played with demented glee by Mauro. She mentally and physically abuses her children, but the effect of this is lost due to the children's monotone performances. They are children so it isn't fair to be too harsh on them, and it isn't really even that they are bad actors, it is more that whether they are meant to be happy, sad, angry, or scared they always look and speak in the exact same measured way. It may well be how they were directed to act, maybe the years of abuse was meant to have numbed them, but it didn't make for exciting protagonists, or people I cared about.